Just Maybe
by Fiona Siona
Summary: "We've always hoped for a family; for a place to rest our heads at the end of the day, to just be safe." It finally happens; the Flock find out everything about their families, and return to their original homes. They split up to be where they belong, and life is perfect; they way it should have been from the beginning. Will the Flock choose the life they dream of over true family?
1. Prologue

I bolted upright, quickly but silently, startled from my nightmare. I was the worst I've had in days, which is saying something. I looked around and scanned the cave we were in; there was a charred pile of wood in the middle. We, the Flock, were sleeping around the wood, feet facing away from it, in a circle varying by age. Angel, the youngest, was at the back of the cave, her blonde curls wrapping around her face, making her name fit perfectly. Most of the time.

The Gasman, age 8, was next to her. They were the only ones in the flock that were related by blood. Or so they thought.

Next to him was Nudge who was 11, like me. She was the only one that was African-American out of the flock. Nudge and I looked strangely alike, except for skin tone and hair texture. Her hair was fluffy, while mine was in curls. I've always known the reason, that we're twins, but I've never told anyone. When the time comes…

After Nudge is me, then Iggy. He's the most understanding one of all of us. I don't know how many times I've gone up to him for help. I still feel sorry for him that he's blind, but Iggy seems to have gotten used to it.

To his right is Fang. Most people would consider Fang emo, but his personality suits him. Always wearing black, silent, but he's the strongest, no matter what Max thinks. Moving on to his right is Maximum Ride, or Max. She's our leader, because she's 1) Smart (not as much as me, but you get the point) 2) Fearless and 3) got an attitude that could send you tumbling to next tuesday.

Seeing the Flock safe made me feel better, so I got back into my place between Nudge and Iggy. I slowly drifted off to sleep, and dreamed about all those things that I one day would have to spill. The thinks that the flock didn't know. After all, they were smart, though last time I checked, I had an IQ of 620. They were bound to figure it out sooner or later, but I can't hold it in for that much longer, anyways...


	2. Chapter One

**Hey! It's me, Myri. I dedicate this chapter to my first two reviewers, snowfrost97 and gymnastgirlflips! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer for the entire story: I, UNFORTUNATELY, DO NOT OWN MR OR IT'S CHARACTERS. ALL I OWN IS MIRA.**

"Mira!" Mom screamed. She looked exactly how she did the last time I saw her, black hair flowing down her back, brown eyes shining with life. My hispanic father was standing next to her, with a worried expression on his face.

"Mom! Dad!" I yell, tears streaming down my face. I try, so, so hard, to get to them, but something wouldn't let me. To make matters worse, I knew exactly what that thing was. Hell. No, seriously, I think hell would be better than this. Better than the School, the horrid place I grew up in. Not many people can survive living in a dog crate that even a puppy might feel cramped in, watching people (well, mostly people) dying horrible deaths right in front of you, being fed once every two weeks (which is torture with the metabolism I have).

"Mira!" Max's voice. How on earth did Max get here? "Come on, Mi, Get up." My eyes flew open, and I saw Max leaning over me with an empty glass of water that was dripping onto my face. My eyes start stinging. _That's it,_ I think. _I'll never see my parents again._

That was the first time I've admitted it, even though I've always known. I wouldn't let myself believe it, but a life, a normal life, seemed so far away. The Flock didn't know, but I've actually lived with my parents the first three years of my life, and I still remember every little detail as if it were yesterday. It's amazing what a 620 IQ can do to you. I remember my first moments, when Nudge was kidnapped out of the hospital crib next to mine. I recall how mother used to rock me to sleep each night, up until that man, known as Dr. Hunter Logan or whatever, I never bother with names, much less evil ones, stole me out of the daycare that night, seven years ago. I was taken to the school, and there I was experimented on, shocked, beaten. It was like hell on earth.

Two weeks ago, I was moved into a room labeled 'Successful Avian Hybrids' where I met the Flock: Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel. After finding a way to combine all of our powers, we escaped. Today is the first day any of us had ever been outside, let alone flew. And we loved it.

"Hey, Nudge? Which way's east?" I ask. I should know, but since I'm only 1% bird, I don't have the instincts that the others have, which means I have to remember to flap unlike how it's built into the rest of the flock. Not to mention the lack of raptor vision. I can't see nearly as far as the others could, but the things that I could see ranged to about a mile in front of me. The clarity makes up for that, though.

"East is that way. Why?" She pointed slightly ahead of us.

"We're headed to a state called... South Carolina or something. It's across the country from California, where the school is. To get there we have to go east. We also decided to go to South Carolina for the ocean. Angel says that the scientists think it's a great place." I winked at Angel." Plus, there are turtles there."

"Ooh! Turtles! That reminds me of this one experiment that I saw that was half turtle! He wa-mphgtkdjhfh" Iggy had slapped his hand over Nudges mouth. "If you want to talk, talk about something that won't bring back memories. Or, even better, don't talk at all!" Iggy had the shortest temper - right after Max - and always is the one to shut her up. I've only known them for two weeks, and she's already made herself the biggest talker I've seen, which is saying something compared to the whitecoats. Those things never shut up.

Two hours later, we stopped to rest at a cave in Oklahoma. We really needed to get used to flying. I was thinking of my parents, my life, and felt a tingling feeling at the back of my neck. I looked around to see Angel staring at me with wide eyes.

Great, just what I needed, a mind reader.

I smiled at her, then brought my finger to my lips in a 'shhhh!' motion.

She winked at me and nodded, going back to her previous actions. Her eyes showed a mischievous glint in them.

Hours later, I started to hear howls. _Weird. It's noon now..._ Then the fog suddenly cleared. Oh, no.

Erasers. Freaking _Erasers! _And that isn't even the worst part;

_none of us know how to fight yet._


	3. Chapter Two

**Hi! I just wantd to say, I changed the name. It's now Mira, to clear up any confusion. :)**

**Mira looks Hispanic, yet has those same distinct features as Nudge; like, fraternal twins. Same nose, different skin colors. All will be explained!**

Suddenly, the tears that I've been holding were boiling. Boiling so hard, it almost hurt. Iggy and I were the only ones who heard the howls, and we woke up the rest of the flock, getting into a V formation in the small cave. From my spot behind Iggy, I could see the Erasers swarming at the bottom of the canyon. Some were climbing, and were dangerously close. We were trapped.

Years of pain, of agony, of torture suddenly swell up inside me. Those Erasers caused me so much harm. They ruined my life. If fingered an old scar on my shoulder while waiting for them to get here. _They will not get me. Not now, Not today. Not me or my family. NO._

Ten seconds later, they arrived at the mouth of the small cave, their leader at the base. I thought of hiding behind Iggy, but noticed the bloodlust in their eyes. Hiding won't get me out of this. Hiding won't save the Flock.

Their leader seems freakishly recognizable. He had that 'I'm going to get you' look on his face, but he was… different from the others. He had a soft side. He didn't want this life. I felt like I knew that soft side, from somewhere, many years ago…

Max spoke first. "Hello! Welcome to our most famous Bryce Canyon buffet! Oops! No dogs allowed!" Her tone made even me flinch. Bad Max escaped it's cage. I doubt even Bad Max can get us out of this situation.

While the leaders had a large argument, I looked down to the canyon floor. There were at least 75 erasers down there, and about 30 climbing up the side of the canyon. Scanning the ones in front of us, I spot an Eraser that I hate more than the antiseptic smell at the School. Him, he was the one that helped take me away from my family. I promised myself, one day, I will get back at him. He wasn't the strongest, but the oldest Eraser. The only one who lived through his expiration date.

Not like he was anything special. He was dead to me, soon literally.

But couldn't these people leave us alone? Realization hit me. No, the whitecoats would never let us go. We meant money, to them, we were multi-million dollar projects. I'll show them Multi Million. That's how many pieces we'll rip them up into when I get my hands on them…

Okay, now something weird was going on. All of the Eraser's eyes were suddenly on me. I felt myself getting closer to the ground, and my muscles ached.

What was happening?

My skin was stinging, my bones grinding. I winced at the sharp pain in my musles.

Though, I felt ten times more flexible, I felt stronger. Fierce. I looked down at myself to see… Paws! Furry, small paws with needle sharp claws! When I looked backwards, which is oddly easy, I saw Angel and Gazzy staring at me wide eyed.

Then I noticed my body.

I was standing on four limbs, my back covered with golden fur. Brown spots spread evenly across the gold, seemingly poisonous. My back arched inwards, more than it ever had before. You could still see the human accents left behind; the overly-bony legs, pale skin under the fur. My face hadn't changed at all.

Amazing! I was a cheetah! I probably looked like some Egyptian God or something!

I turned back to the Erasers and lunged. The back half fell of the side of the cave, ones in the middle whimpered before throwing themselves off.

Hm, who knew Erasers were weenies on the inside? I sure didn't.

About ten stayed to fight, and I growled at them. One started shaking at the site of me. Five others still stood tall, and right then the Flock set into action. Nudge and Gazzy flipped one off a cliff. Angel was scrambling one's thoughts and the Eraser was doing some type of dance before he flipped himself off the cliff. I ran and slammed into one and knocked him out. Fang and Iggy had one pinned down and Iggy was having a great time punching him, and Max slammed ones head into the cave floor. One left! We all turned to him, and he let out some sort of prayer before plummeting to the Earth.

Ahh, the joys of gravity.

I then realize that not only am I back in Human form, but everyone is staring at me. I smile sweetly at them and say "I've always wondered what the rest of my DNA was."

Max walks up to me, glaring and stiff. "Where the hell did that come from?!"

I shrug. "My files said some odd stuff, though I strangely don't remember. Some 1% avian and 3% they listed as undefined... The Erasers should've known. Speaking of rasers" I turn to the mouth of the cave and look down. "They're gone." Thankfully, the Flock didn't tune me out like they did to Nudge sometimes. I speak info, while she babbles about odd subjects. I smile, remembering how my mother was just like that.

"If you're part feline, can you change into any type of cat, or just a cheetah?" Ooh, Mr. Emo Smarticles has spoken.

"I'll try." I picture myself becoming a tiger, but nothing happens. I try a jaguar, a housecat, but none work. Wait, I was mad and I became a cheetah… so right now, I'm alert, but calm, so I picture myself becoming a lioness. I get the unfamiliar pain in my bones before it stops. Now that I'm paying attention, I love this! I feel like I've just been released into paradise, like I've finally found my purpose.

I guess I just did.

But one thing comes back to me a couple hours later while everyone is resting. "Hey guys?"

"Yeah Mira?" Max raises an eyebrow at me.

"Why did the Eraser's leader look so familiar? And where did he go when I jumped at them? He didn't jump off the cliff or fight."

A dark, gruff voice from the back of the cave answers me. "The name's Ari. Nice to meet you, freaks. Ready to end this little vacation?"

I scream. No, it can't be. Ari? That sweet little seven year old? Impossible.

**Review? 3**


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: The word says it all.**

No. That's not possible. Not Ari. Not THE Ari. The 7 year old Ari that used to be in my cage until he turned five and was given a separate one. Not my best friend. Not my baby.

Not the Ari that I practically raised myself.

But I saw him. Underneath those fangs and claws. He has the same blonde hair. The same face shape.

The same jagged scar on his left eye.

I ignored his appearance and went up to him. And you know what I did?

I hugged him.

He was my baby, just like Angel was Max's baby. But that wasn't the only reason.

I hugged him because, even if he never knew this, I understand what he went through. He had a normal life before. He was HUMAN. And, only six months ago, they took him away. He never returned. I sobbed for days, thinking he was dead.

He seemed confused at first, and then smiled. He brought one of his claws to my throat, but I showed no sign of fear. He wasn't here to kill us; only to capture us. Besides, even though I was only 5 years older than him, I was like his mother. He wouldn't rip my throat open.

Would he?

I step back and ignore all the stares from the Flock. And I look directly into Ari's eyes. Something bothered me about them. They were familiar, somehow.

But what was worse was, and oh, God, this frightened me. There was no love in his eyes. No mercy. Just pure… bloodlust. He wanted us dead. Wanted ME dead. But that wasn't going to happen.

"You wouldn't," I snarl at him.

He smirks and says," No, you're safe from me. But to them," He grabs Max and pins her against the wall of the cave. "I most definitely would."

I'm shocked that Max doesn't try to get away. She just stares at him, as if in shock, limply dangling from his arms.

I then notice what was with his eyes; they looked exactly like Max's.

Suddenly, some long forgotten words flow through my mind.

_Experiment: Avian 7; successful_

_Name: Maximum Batchelder_

_Hair: Brunette_

_Eyes: Brown_

_Family: Jeb Batchelder and Valencia Martinez; Ella Martinez; Ari Batchelder_

I gasp. I saw those words back when I was four, long ago. I whisper the words, seeing Iggy and Fang eyes me warily from the side.

"No. Not to her either. Wanna guess why?" I mocked. You know, its fun trying to get an Eraser mad sometimes. I recommend it.

His jaw tightened, hardly noticeable. But I know him well. Too well. He has weak spots, like us all. But Ari has been wanting to meet his family since he could talk.

I glare at him, smirk, and snarl, "You wouldn't want to kill your own sister."

At that moment, while he is still registering what I had told him, Fang and Iggy pin him down. My work here is done. I curl into a ball and go to sleep. Pathetic, right? But I usually drain my energy faster than most of the others, not including Nudge. She was always hungry.

The last thing I think before I drift off is '_Those kids can be skilled when they want to be.'_

* * *

**Max POV**

I was terrified. Ari had pinned me up on the wall, and was eagerly stroking my neck with his claws. I was, for the first time ever, terrified.

Not that I showed it.

Ari and Mira were having some sort of conversation, but I wasn't listening. Suddenly, Mira's face flashed pale, as if she was having a flashback. I tried to go to her, to hold her, but I was paralyzed. Partly because of Ari's claws, but also because he looked familiar. The way that Mira had hugged him makes him feel more than that, like he was family. Like he was part of theFflock. And Mira's next comment utterly horrified me.

She'd said, "You wouldn't want to kill your own sister," in a harsh, challenging tone.

Ari was also taken aback. His face froze, as if trying to understand what she had said. Fang and Iggy used that time to tackle him. Mira must know that this is a weakness, something to get me free.

This is too much for me to handle. I drift off into unconsciousness, but not before thinking of all the other things Mira might be hiding from us, and whether she was a threat or a strength to us...

* * *

**Nudge POV**

Myri's becoming weirder these days, ever since we escaped the School. Not weird, but… she's changing. Especially today. I mean, I SAW her become a cheetah right in front of my eyes! That was freaky! And then, only two hours later, she used her own MEMORY to defeat an Eraser! I study her sleeping form in the corner and make a mental list about her.

Nudge's Mental List of Myri

*Natural Tan

*Black, waist length hair

*Deep brown eyes

*perfect eyebrows

*About 5'4"

*rambles about facts

That list officially creeped me out. Why?

Nudge's Mental List of Nudge:

*dark skin

*Black, below-the-shoulder hair

*Deep brown eyes

*Perfect eyebrows

*About 5' 5"

*rambles about... stuff

Okay…

I'll think about it. She knows something that I don't know, that the Flock doesn't know. But after today, her secrets won't be long until they're out. I can feel it… wait, why can I feel it? It's as if the cave walls are giving off a vibe.

This reminds me, my stomach's vibrating right now. I'm sure Iggy might hear it because of how loud it is. Ugh, I can't believe those Erasers! They waste all of my precious energy from well-needed food on fights.

This is not over. My hamburger shall be avenged.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N: I know, I am a horrible, horrible person. I bet you all hate me, even more so now that I dyed my hair red.**

**Fanfictioners, READ THIS! If you are looking for a good Niggy one-shot that breaks your heart, look for this one called 'Defect' by Skadi 2. Marchking. Oh, SO SAD! **

**Disclaimer: Dis= Do not. Claim= Own. **

I awoke the next morning upright against the walls of the cave and tied up. At first, I felt fear, then that melted away into confusion. TLooking around, that feeling swelled into pride, because I knew the Flock would rather safe than sorry, so they tied me up. Just because I might be a spy or something. Which I am _not, FYI._

The next thing I noticed was how the Flock had formed a half circle around me, in a 'you ain't going anywhere, missy' way. Ari was thrown to the other side of the cave. Max's eye was twitching in anger, and Gazzy was looking at me curiously. Nudge was off in her own world, thinking. Iggy and Fang were having a staring contest on opposite ends of the half circle, and it was pretty even, considering it was a blind guy against an emotionless rock. I wonder who's going to win…

Angel looked like she was having a battle in her mind, which I then realized she was. With Max.

Well, it explains the twitching.

Angel was the first to notice me awake. She smiled at me. Max then snapped and got everyone's attention. _Shoot, I wanted to know who won the staring contest. _Angel giggled when she heard my thought.

Max glared at me, obviously putting me on her bad list. I don't blame her; what if a stranger you've known for two weeks knows more about you than yourself?

Exactly.

"Explain." Ah, Max, always getting straight to the point. Angel tuned out since she already knew about my story. The others leaned closer to me.

"Can you at least untie me?" I never imagined telling my life story tied up in a cave. More like, sitting in a recliner when I'm 60 telling it to my grandkids. But, eh.

"Nope. Now, speak." I sighed. This is not a comfortable position. I don't recommend it.

And, I spoke.

"I was three. I had just been taken to the lab. They were about to mess with my mind; they wanted to use me so they wouldn't mess up with the real experiment. They needed someone with the same DNA as the original test subject, who was my twin. So what's better than the fraternal twin? Anyways, they do the experiment, which is to try to make me all-knowing. They mess up, and it takes the next 4 years for them to realize that.

"I was 7 then, and a month later they realized that I had super memory, so I will never forget anything. They try to torture me with lies; telling me stuff like how 'my family betrayed me' and stupid crap like that. They thought that my memory was as fresh as if it happened yesterday, starting from that day that they first experimented on me. They were wrong about one thing; when they enhanced my memory, they enhanced all of my memories, which means I remember everything following my birthdate. So all of their lies were useless; I knew that my twin was stolen at birth. I know that my father was Latino, and my mother was African American. I know that I was stolen by my father's friend, Dr. Gunther-Hagen."

I took a deep breath. I said all of that in, like, four breaths or so; a trait from my mother. Nudge has it too.

"I also remember that a few days after I was kidnapped, two scientists named Anne and Riley were looking at some files. Files of the Successful Avian Hybrids; files of you. And they were reading out loud.

"The first one was of Maximum Batchelder. Female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Her father, Dr. Jeb Batchelder. Her mother, Dr. Valencia Martinez. Her half-siblings, Ella Martinez and Ari Batchelder. Your mother doesn't know you; she was only an egg donor. She lives in Mesa, Arizona with her daughter Ella," I recited, almot reading off the memory imprinted in my brain. Possibly the most valuable memory I will ever have.

Max sighed in relief; she wasn't sold to the school. She had a chance of returning to her mother, and though her father was a scientist at the School, her parents weren't married. They probably never even met.

"The next was a file of a boy named Rayan Harb. Male. Black hair, dark brown eyes. His father, Ahmed Harb. His mother, Sarah Harb. Only child. Of Arabian culture. Kidnapped at birth. His parents live in Dearborn, Michigan."

Fang also looked pretty relieved; he could also one day return to his parents. But then, he asked a question. A very short question.

"Arabic?"

I almost laughed. "It means, they're originally from the Middle East. Dearborn holds the most population of Arabs in the U.S.. Plus, if you're going to ask, no, you're not Mexican. People often get the two mixed up." It dawned on me that the whitecoats hadn't taught them much at all. They werethe ones who were physically trained, while I was in the educationally trained group of mutants.

"The third file said, James Griffiths. Male. Red-Blonde hair, blue eyes. His father, George Griffiths. His mother, Claire Griffiths. Only child. Kidnapped at 4 months. His parents live in Brightwood, Virginia, 2 hours from D.C. There was also a new tab that said, blind."

Iggy just nodded. There wasn't much to say, anyways. But his eyes twinkled in excitement.

"The next one said, Monique Renaldo. Female. Black hair, brown eyes. Her father, Jesse Renaldo. Her mother, Natalie Renaldo. Has a fraternal twin. Kidnapped at birth. Parents live in Labelle, Florida." By now, the older kids (Max, Fang, and Iggy) had made the connection between me and Nudge. The others? Not so much.

Nudge looked excited, and opened her mouth to start talking but I interrupted her. "Let me finish"

I took a deep breath. "There were more papers in Nudge's file. Mirabelle Renaldo. Female. Black hair, brown eyes. Her father, Jesse Renaldo. Her mother, Natalia Renaldo. Has a fraternal twin. Kidnapped at 34 months. Parents live in Labelle, Florida." Nudge's eyes widened. Then she tackled me in a bear-hug.

"ERMAGERSH! You're my twin sister! I can't believe it! I wonder if we have twin telepathy. That would be so cool! But Angel could still read out thoughts though. There goes that plan…" Nudge suddenly gathered herself up and slapped me.

I rubbed my cheek. I was expecting that...

"Why didn't you tell me! I mean, we've only known eachother for two weeks, but we could've done so much! We could've dicussed, like, the things we both like, or maybe... well, there isn't much else to discuss, because of th school and all, but-"

I cut her off. "I didn't know if I could trust you lot at first," I replied calmly, watching the rest of the Flock's faces crumble in understanding.

"Oh. I guess that's reasonable. Now COME ON! Finish Gasser and Angel's profiles!"

I grimaced. Their's were the worst. "Gazzy wasn't born at the time, but he had a file; Gazzy's mom was _letting_ them implant the bird genes in the unborn baby. Anyways, all it said was: Zachary Daniels. Male. His father, Dr. Rielley Daniels. His mother, Chelsea Daniels. Planned to have a sister in 2 years' time. Sold to our facility for 10,000 dollars. Parents live in Lathrop Wells, Nevada. Which, by the way, is 30 miles away from the School. I also know that they only got 'married' for the experiment, so they wouldn't look suspicious. They got divorced after Angel was born, but I also remember the day Angel was brought in two years later as I was being led to an experiment; Chelsea was screaming and tried to get Angel back, but they got the Erasers and dragged her out."

Gazzy and Angel's faces held just a tiny bit of relief in them, for the same reasons as Max's had.

Iggy then spoke up after some deep thought. "But what about the Flock? All of the families are states away from eachother. We'd have to split up." Max's face paled. She obviously hadn't thought of that.

So much for thoughtful leader.

"B-But we have to try, right?" Gazzy sounded so hopeful right then. He looked even more adorable than usual, with his cowlick and huge blue eyes. The rest of the Flock nodded in agreement.

"Yes. We'll do it. One by one, Starting tomorrow." She smiled and stuck out her fist. Everyone stacked theirs on top of it, and looked at me expectantly.

"Heh, can one of you please untie me now?"


	6. AN

Wellllll. Hi. Myri here. Obvi.

So please hear me out before you start yelling at me. Though that would be completely acceptable.

I haven't updated... For a while. I'm sorry. Summer was hectic and flew by uber fast, and now school started. I've discovered a few things that impacted my life greatly;

Wattpad

Twitter

One Direction.

Don't call me a crazy fangirl, those boys got me through a huge insecurity. Plus, their music is amazing.

Oh, and that too. Music has taken over my life. I wake up, and my mind goes, "I kissed a girl and I liked it!" even though I hate Katy Perry. And 'Torn' and 'Isn't she Lovely' have been getting stuck in my head. Not to mention the whole One Direction album. Testin is coming up... I'm trying to stay in Advanced Math because that could impact my life greatly. The school's schedules and lockers are jumbled and mixed up. There are at LEAST 31 kids in each class of mine, most of them owning single brain cells. My mum/dad have been fighting even though they've been divorced for a year now (!) Annndddd I still have to keep up with the Directioner fandom each day. Oh, and homework. Meh. Busssy life. OH YA. My autistic brother hates me, though that's pretty normal. I LIKE MnMS. And mayonnaise. But that's another story.

Sooo I'll try to update ASAP for you! Even though I have absolutely no motivation for 'Just Maybe' because the storyline has changed ever since I first started it. I still have to edit past chapters, and I will say if anything important has been removed (maybe the feline DNA?)

As for 'Ask Max' readers, don't worry! I haven't updated because of above ^ and because I think I wrote half of a chapter before it became obnoxious and crappy. I don't like when that happens. There's no 'funny', it becomes all -.- and borrrring. So I'm rewriting it! Thank anyone who reviewed and favorited/followed; every single one of you have a place in my heart! I'll read any story of yours that you want me to. Just PM me! Conversation PMs are appreciated. Criticism is highly asked for!

Btw, any of you read Nevermore?! I loved it! Though. Do y'all think that if TFW, MAX, FANG, and ANGEL were removed, it would've been better? I do ;))

Write "Team Hawthorne" in a comment if you just read that whole AN. I understand if you didn't :))))))


	7. Chapter Five

**A/N: Hey! Sorry for the long wait, it's completely my fault. I feel like I've been neglecting y'all.**

**IMPORTANT: MIRI'S NAME WAS CHANGED TO MIRA TO CLEAR CONFUSION. THANKS TO ALL.**

I awkwardly flapped my underused wings as the Flock and I flew southwest towards Arizona. We had decided to drop Angel and Gasman off at their home first, considering we find it, and then rotate by location; Florida where Nudge and I go, Virginia for Iggy, and Michigan for dear old Fangles. Then Max would fly back to Mesa, Arizona and meet her own dearly yearned for mother.

The anxiety was eating away at all of us from the inside; this wasn't guaranteed. No one was sure if they'll work out with the new families, but no one was willing to back off from this offer.

Everyone was having split conversations while I just stared at the outline of plants and desert on my own. I knew every type of plant in there; every rock name, every cloud type. The amount of info the School had taught me was incredible.

I wasn't nearly as strong as the Flock, though. They had years of training, while I had years of learning. I had my newly found feline DNA to help, but the Flock had natural instinct. They had their own powers, too, while I had survival facts.

It was pretty even.

The deserts seemed to be forming slowly into cities, until we finally found a library close to Lathrop Wells, Nevada. We all contributed some help until we tracked down an address.

That was a lot easier than I thought it would be!

Angel nudged Max, bringing her back to her senses. Max simply rushed us out of the library and we all took off, Angel and Gazzy tightly gripping each other's hands.

All of us seemed breathless as we stared at the old home in front of us.

The old home stood empty and dusty, as if it hadn't been used in years.

"Go search for clues, anything." Max demanded, too stubborn to give up. We all obeyed, busting the door down and stepping inside the home, one by one.

Everyone was quick in searching in the house, some (cough Iggy cough) having extreme advantages because of longer limbs and enhanced senses. I gave up after a while, walking outside to the front lawn.

I played with the packed dirt for a few minutes, looking into the horizon. That was when the packed dirt suddenly turned into plastic.

I dug quickly, my fingernails slightly bleeding, and pulled out the plastic object.

I was a paper; a 'For Sale' sign,

EUREKA!

I ran to the hose and sprayed some water on it, reading the faded phone number written on the sign and scrambled to Max, breathless.

She quickly called everyone over and dialed the number, all of us crowding around. Except Iggy, he drifted apart since he could hear it from quite a distance.

"_Hewwo?" _a small voice said through the telephone. A child, maybe three years old.

"Hi!" max said with false cheerfulness. It was quite disturbing. "Is Chelsea here?"

"_You mean mwommy?_ _Yeh, here!"_ there was some squealing in the background before a laughing woman came back on.

"_Hello?"_

Max's tone changed completely. "Listen, miss." Max said her voice steely. "Do you have any recollection of the School of Genetic Engineering in Death Valley?"

Chelsea was silent for a few minutes before I realized sobs were coming through the phone_. "Y-yes, I do. T-the t-took my babies!"_

"Yeah, we know, we have them right here," Max casually replied, pulling nerves. "Why'd you do it?"

"_I-I had no choice! He put this, this drug in me, and I had absolutely no-"_the woman cut off, sniffling, but we understood.

Max's voice had softened. "Do you want your kids back?"

"_More than anything in the world. But they told me. They're dead, right? That's what Reilly said," _Chelsea whimpered.

Gazzy and Angel seemed frozen next to me. I rubbed their shoulders to reassure them that everything was alright.

"Give me an address, and we'll meet you there tomorrow."

The lady was reluctant, but gave us an address in Phoenix, Arizona. Max was gleeful that it was even closer to Mesa where Max would go than the current location, so she'd get to see them often.

As we all settled down in a nearby field, I held Gazzy close to me while he slept. I rubbed his hair, careful not to wake him up.

Gazzy reminded me of Ari in so many ways, they had the same attitudes, and just generally, they were alike. Gasman and Ari would've been great friends.

"It's all going to work out right," I whispered into Gasman's ear. He repeated my words, half asleep, before letting his head fall on my shoulder, clinging to me or the rest of the night.

**Review please? I love to hear opinions 3**


	8. Chapter Six

A/N: Hey! Sorry for the long wait, it's completely my fault. I feel like I've been neglecting y'all.

IMPORTANT: MIRI'S NAME WAS CHANGED TO MIRA TO CLEAR CONFUSION. THANKS TO ALL.

I awkwardly flapped my underused wings as the Flock and I flew southwest towards Arizona. We had decided to drop Angel and Gasman off at their home first, assuming we find it, and then rotate by location; Florida where Nudge and I go, Virginia for Iggy, and Michigan for dear old Fangles. Then Max would fly back to Mesa, Arizona and meet her own dearly yearned for mother.

The anxiety was eating away at all of us from the inside; this wasn't guaranteed. No one was sure if they'll work out with the new families, but no one was willing to back off from this offer.

Everyone was having individual conversations while I just stared at the outline of plants and desert on my own. I knew every type of plant in there; every rock name, every cloud type. The amount of info the School had taught me was incredible.

I wasn't nearly as strong as the Flock, though. They had years of training, while I had years of learning. I had my newly found feline DNA to help, but the Flock had natural instinct. They had their own powers, too, while I had survival facts.

It was pretty even.

The deserts seemed to be forming slowly into cities, until we finally found a library close to Lathrop Wells, Nevada. We all contributed some help until we tracked down an address.

That was a lot easier than I thought it would be!

Angel nudged Max, bringing her back to her senses. Max simply rushed us out of the library and we all took off, Angel and Gazzy tightly gripping each other's hands.

All of us seemed breathless as we stared at the old home in front of us.

The old home stood empty and dusty; it obviously hadn't been used in years.

"Go search for clues, anything." Max demanded, too stubborn to give up. We all obeyed, busting the door down and stepping inside the home, one by one.

Everyone was quick in searching in the house, some (cough, Iggy, cough) having extreme advantages because of enhanced senses. I gave up after a while, walking outside to the front lawn.

I played with the packed dirt for a few minutes, looking into the horizon. That was when the packed dirt suddenly turned into plastic.

I dug quickly, my fingernails slightly bleeding, and pulled out the plastic object.

I was a paper; a 'For Sale' sign,

EUREKA!

I scrambled to the hose and sprayed some water on it, reading the faded phone number written on the sign and scrambled to Max, breathless.

She quickly gathered everyone over and dialed the number, all of us crowding around. Except Iggy, he drifted apart since he could hear it from quite a distance.

"Hello?"

a small voice said through the telephone. A child, maybe four years old.

"Hi!" Max said with false cheerfulness. It was quite disturbing. "Is Chelsea here?"

"You mean mommy?

_Yeh, here!"_ there was some squealing in the background before a laughing woman came back on.

"Hello?"

Max's tone changed completely. "Listen, miss." Max said, her voice steely. "Do you have any recollection of the School of Genetic Engineering in Death Valley?"

Chelsea was silent for a few minutes. "No," her watery voice replied.

"You sure? These two kids we have seem to prove otherwise."

"Wh-what?"

"Your kids, hun." Max sighed, running her hand through her hair. We all leaned in, anxious for a response.

Silence. _"They took them," _Chelsea sobbed. _"They took my babies."_

"Yeah, we know, we have them right here," Max casually replied, pulling nerves. "Why'd you do it?"

"I-I had no choice! He put this, this drug in me, and I had absolutely no-"

the woman cut herself off, sniffling, but we understood.

Max's voice had softened. "Do you want your kids back?"

"More than anything in the world. But they told me. They're dead, right? That's what Reilly said,"

Chelsea whimpered.

Gazzy and Angel seemed frozen next to me. I rubbed their shoulders to reassure them that everything was alright.

"Give me an address, and we'll meet you there tomorrow."

The lady was reluctant, but gave us an address in Phoenix, Arizona. Max was gleeful that it was close to Mesa, where Max would be, so she'd get to see them often.

As we all settled down in a nearby field, I held Gazzy close to me while he slept. I stroked his cheek, careful not to wake him up.

Gazzy reminded me of Ari in so many ways, they had the same attitude, and just generally, they were alike. Gasman and Ari would've been great friends.

"It's all going to work out right," I whispered into Gasman's ear. He sleepily repeated it, before letting his head fall on my shoulder, clinging to me or the rest of the night.

Review please? I love to hear opinions 3


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